CAT 2026 Registration Closes Today: Last Date to Apply on iimcat.ac.in Is 5 PM

The CAT 2026 registration window shuts today, September 15, at 5:00 PM. Candidates who haven't finished registering, filling the application form, or paying the fee need to complete every step on iimcat.ac.in before the portal closes — IIM Indore, the institute conducting this year's exam, is not expected to accept submissions after the deadline.

CAT 2026 Registration: What Closes Today

• The registration window opened on August 3, 2026, and ends today, September 15, at 5:00 PM.
• New candidates must finish registration, OTP verification, form filling, and fee payment — all four steps — before the cut-off.
• Candidates who already registered but haven't filled the form, or filled it but haven't paid, must complete the remaining steps by tonight.
• Fee payment is mandatory. An application without payment will not be considered submitted.
• CAT typically does not offer a late-fee or grace window once the portal closes for the year.

How to Complete CAT 2026 Registration

1. Go to the official website: iimcat.ac.in
2. Click "New Candidate Registration" and enter your name, date of birth, email ID, and phone number.
3. Verify the OTP sent to both your email and phone.
4. Log in with the credentials generated by the system.
5. Fill in personal, academic, and professional details.
6. Upload a passport-size photograph and signature (as per the specified format and size).
7. Select up to six preferred test cities.
8. Choose the IIMs and programmes you wish to apply to.
9. Pay the CAT 2026 application fee online.
10. Submit the form and download the confirmation page for your records.

CAT 2026 Application Fee (by Category)

Payment must be completed online before 5:00 PM today; the form is not treated as submitted without it.

CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria

• A bachelor's degree with at least 50% aggregate marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates), or an equivalent CGPA.
• Final-year students who expect to meet the percentage criteria can also register.
• There is no upper or lower age limit for CAT.
• There is no cap on the number of attempts — candidates can appear multiple times across different years.

After You Submit: Correction Window and Test City Allotment

Candidates who complete the form before the deadline will get access to a correction window, expected in the first week of October based on past-year patterns. This window usually stays open for three to four days and allows changes only to the uploaded photograph, signature, and test-city preference — personal and academic details entered during registration remain locked.

Test cities are allotted by the IIMs on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to availability, so an early submission can matter for getting a preferred centre.

CAT 2026 Key Dates: Admit Card, Exam, Result

CAT 2026 will be held across roughly 170 test cities, with scores accepted by 22 IIMs and more than 1,700 other B-schools for MBA and allied programme admissions.

Will CAT 2026 Registration Be Extended?

There is no official confirmation of an extension for CAT 2026 as of today. Candidates should treat 5:00 PM today as the real deadline and avoid waiting on the possibility of an extension. [VERIFY] For context: in the CAT 2025 cycle, the registration deadline was pushed back by one week, from September 13 to September 20, 2025. Any decision on extending CAT 2026 registration will be announced only on the official website, iimcat.ac.in — candidates should rely solely on that source rather than unofficial claims.